KR101947400B1 - Network media adapter - Google Patents

Abstract

The network media adapters are used to receive media data from audio / video (" A / V ") sources and to transmit media data to A / V sinks Interfaces. The components are configured to synchronize or synchronize the local media clocks of the A / V sources and sinks to ensure media data integrity associated with the protocol of the media network through which the media data is being transmitted. A quality of service (QoS) -compliant media interface is integrated within the network media adapter that allows the A / V media data processed according to the protocol to be transmitted to and received from the media network. Other components may be configured to process, encapsulate, and transmit media data received from A / V sources over a media network. Other components may be configured to receive media data from the media network and to decapsulate, process, and transmit the media data via one or more peripheral interfaces connected to the A / V sinks.

Description

Network Media Adapter {NETWORK MEDIA ADAPTER}

This disclosure is generally directed to adapting audio / video (A / V) media devices to a network configuration, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for adapting a plurality of A / V sources and A / V sinks To a network media adapter that includes peripheral interfaces for connection to connectors and includes processing to ensure media data integrity.

Through a network having media data integrity, to generate a significant market pull in the professional and consumer spaces of networked A / V media devices (BLuRay or DVD players, cameras, etc.) The entire ecosystem of bridges, switches, routers, sources, and sinks that need to be properly communicated needs to be created. Streaming products will begin to emerge as standards or protocols become more established and application specific standard product (ASSP) manufacturers produce cost-effective solutions, but millions of existing sources and sinks (AVB), Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP) without using a media on / off ramp, , MoCCA, and the like.

The present invention includes peripheral interfaces for connection to a plurality of A / V sources and connectors of A / V sinks and includes processing to ensure media data integrity. And to provide a network media adapter that is capable of providing high-speed network access.

The media network adapter provides adaptation between existing audio / video (" A / V ") media sources and sinks. When the medium is referred to as an audio / video medium, the present disclosure is intended to refer to an audio medium, a video medium, or any combination of audio and video media. Processing components provide the ability to receive audio and video data from consumer peripheral interfaces such as analog stereo audio, digital audio (S / PDIF or TOSLINK), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) In addition, both standard and high resolution video can be received via video signal inputs such as composite, S-video, component analog interfaces and HDMI. After receiving the audio / video data, the raw media data is processed, encapsulated, and transmitted over the media network using the appropriate protocols. Additional blocks are used to receive media streams (audio, video, and / or transport streams). When raw media data is received, the unprocessed media data is decapsulated and processed and then transmitted to one or more of the available consumer peripherals interfaces.

Exemplary network media adapters include a connection to the connectors of A / V sources and sinks to receive media data from A / V sources each and to transmit media data to A / V sinks Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > peripheral interfaces. ≪ / RTI > In order to ensure media data integrity associated with the protocol of the media network via which the media data is transmitted, the components synchronize and synchronize the local media clocks of the A / V sources and sinks ). A quality of service (QoS) -compliant media interface is integrated within the network media adapter and through the network media adapter transmits the processed A / V media data to the media network according to the protocol and sends the processed A / V media data. Other components may be configured to process, encapsulate, and transmit media data received from the A / V sources through the media network. Other components may be configured to receive media data from the media network and to decapsulate, process, and transmit the media data via one or more peripheral interfaces connected to the A / V sinks.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages will become or become apparent to those skilled in the art after review of the following figures and detailed description. All such additional systems, methods, features and advantages are included in this description, are within the scope of the invention, and are intended to be protected by the following claims.

In accordance with the present invention, the present invention includes peripheral interfaces for connection to a plurality of A / V sources and connectors of A / V sinks and provides media data integrity A network media adapter can be achieved that includes a process for ensuring that the network media adapter is secure.

The system can be better understood with reference to the following figures and description. It should be emphasized that the components in the figures do not require scaling, but instead illustrate the principles of the invention. Also, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
1 is a block diagram of an exemplary network media adapter.
2 is a block diagram of an exemplary hardware implementation of the network media adapter of FIG.
3 is a block diagram of another exemplary hardware implementation of the network media adapter of FIG.
4 is a general purpose computer system that may represent any of the computing devices referred to herein, including a computing device capable of interfacing with a network media adapter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As an introduction, the present disclosure is directed to a network that includes a plurality of audio / video ("A / V") sources and peripheral interfaces for connection to connectors of A / V sinks, Media adapter. The network media adapter at least partially synchronizes the clocks of the A / V sources and sinks to ensure media data integrity (or " assure " some protocols) associated with the protocol of the media network. And provide media data integrity through components that are configured to syntonize. Synchronization of the clocks of the A / V sources and sinks means that the clocks match in frequency and that they are synchronized means that they are consistent in both frequency and phase. Media data integrity generally means that there is no loss or corruption of media data when media data is transmitted over the network. In other words, the media data (audio and / or video) will play smoothly without jittering, clicking, popping, or video dropout. In addition, the network media adapter may comprise a quality of service (QoS) -compliant media interface and may be adapted to transmit, via this quality of service-compliant media interface, twisted pair cables or fibers V media data to and from the media network via a physical medium such as a fiber or other communication medium such as a wireless network medium, and receives processed A / V media data from the media network.

1 is a block diagram of an exemplary network media adapter 100. As shown in FIG. The network media adapter 100 may be a separate stand alone device, such as in a separate enclosure provided in the network media adapter 100. Alternatively, the network media adapter 100 may be added to another device as a component or module. The network media adapter 100 may include peripheral interfaces 102 and 104 for communicating with devices external to the network media adapter 100. These peripheral interfaces 102 and 104 may include physical connections such as ports, connectors, fasteners, etc., and / or wireless connectivity, and corresponding communication protocols . A plurality of A / V source devices (or "sources") may include corresponding peripheral interfaces 102, and a plurality of A / V sink devices (or "sinks" Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 104 < / RTI > Each of the interfaces 102 and 104 may be provided for the reception and transmission of common consumer audio and video. In other examples, the A / V devices may operate as both sources and sinks.

2 to 3, the peripheral interfaces 102 and 104 of FIG. 1 may be used for connection to an analog audio transmitter such as an AM / FM tuner, a CD player, or an MP3 player. Stereo audio connectors 106 (such as RCA-type connectors). Additionally or additionally, interfaces 102 and 104 may include stereo audio connectors 108 for connection to an analog audio receiver, such as a speaker. Similarly, additionally or alternatively, each of the interfaces 102 and 104 may include digital audio connectors 110 and 112 for respective connections to a digital audio transmitter and / or a digital audio receiver. Digital audio connectors 110 and 112 may be multichannel raw formats and / or other multi-channel formats of stereo, such as linear pulse-code modulation (LPCM). Although the digital audio interconnectors 110 and 112 of FIGS. 2-3 are predefined formats such as the S / PDIF format, any format may be used.

Interfaces 102 and 104 may alternatively or additionally include high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connectors (not shown) for connection to HDMI-capable transmitters and / or HDMI- 114 and / or 116, respectively. The HDMI connectors 114 and 116 may include a high-speed serial interface for high-definition video and audio. The interfaces 102 and 104 may alternatively or additionally be connected to the composite video connectors 118 and / or 118 for connection to a composite-video-capable transmitter and / or a composite- Or 120, respectively. The composite video connectors 118 and 120 may be built on standard NTSC or PAL analog video interfaces via yellow RCA connectors. The interfaces 102 and 104 may alternatively or additionally include S-video connectors 122 and / or 124, which are high-resolution analog video interface connectors using multi-pin DIN connectors. The interfaces 102 and 104 further include component video connectors 126 and / or 128, which are high resolution video interfaces that alternatively or additionally utilize three RCA-type or BNC-type connectors can do. It is also contemplated that any analog video connector (such as composite video connectors 118 and / or 120 or S-video connectors 122 and / or 124) and analog audio connectors 106 and / In addition or in addition, interfaces 102 and 104 may include SCART (EIA multiport) connectors such as those still used in Europe. SCART connectors are for synthesizing analog audio and video signals, and typically for connecting A / V devices to each other. Although not shown, other interfaces or connectors may be included, so the interfaces and connectors described are examples.

The network media adapter 100 encapsulates over a communications medium of the network 130 to be discussed in greater detail and provides a local media clock for the media coming from the A / V sources to be processed and transmitted And a media clock generation processor 129 for generating a media clock. The synthesized media clock recovery and generation processors 129 and 188 (" MCR ") comprise at least two field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in both implementations of the network media adapter 100 of FIGS. lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > array. < / RTI > In other instances, the network media adapter, or portions of the network media adapter 100, may be modules. The term " module " or " component " can be defined as including one or more executable parts. As described herein, modules or components are defined to include software, hardware, or a combination of parts thereof executable by a processor. Software modules may include commands stored in a memory executable by a processor. The hardware modules may include various devices, components, circuits, gates, and circuit boards that are executable, directed, and / or controlled for execution by a processor.

The network media adapter 100 may be any of the systems shown in FIG. 2, which may be configured and / or programmed to implement a wide variety of A / V processing functions including, but not necessarily, some of those disclosed herein And may include a system on a chip (SoC) The system on chip 131 of FIG. 2 may be a component such as a DRA64x / 65x or DM8214 of Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX. The system-on-chip 131 of FIG. 2 includes an initial hardware architecture that implements portions of the peripheral interfaces 102 and 104 of FIG. 1 and adds others such as hard disk drives, USB, SD cards, and the like. Other types of such processors may be employed, or more specific hardware and / or a combination of programmable processors may be employed as described in the exemplary implementation of FIG.

The network media adapter 100 may further include one or more video processors 132 for processing raw video media. In the exemplary implementation of FIG. 3, the Cavium PureView video processor of Cavium Networks, Mountain View, Calif., May be configured to perform most of the video processing as discussed later, And is displayed in the video processor 132. In addition, the video processor 132 of FIG. 3 may be configured to similarly implement other processes, including those associated with clock recovery.

The network media adapter 100 may further include a video encoder 136 for compressing video at a compression ratio of up to 100: 1 while maintaining high resolution quality. The network media adapter 100 further comprises a video decoder 138 for decompressing the compressed video at approximately the same compression ratio as a preparation for transmitting video to video receivers or other sinks . Different or additional compression ratios are assumed. The video encoders / decoders 136 and 138 (FIGS. 2 through 3) may be implemented in one chip, module, or instance in a network media adapter. Compression may be necessary, especially for high resolution video and / or audio, because at least some media interfaces impose bandwidth limitations on streaming traffic. Even the smallest video resolutions require more than 200 megabits per second (Mbps) to transmit. Therefore, unprocessed video will rapidly consume available bandwidth, and therefore video compression is employed to maintain high quality while avoiding the consumption of a large amount of bandwidth. The video encoders / decoders 136 and 138 enable transmission of a plurality of high resolution video streams over a streaming media network, such as Ethernet AVB and the like. Although video compression is often necessary, it is not always required, and some video media (especially of analog or low resolution type) can bypass the video encoder / decoder (dotted line) and make it optional.

The audio data received and transmitted through each of the peripheral interfaces 102 and 104 follows paths similar to those for video received and transmitted via the interfaces 102 and 104. [ Thus, the network media adapter 100 may include an audio encoder 140 for compressing audio to a predetermined compression level. The network media adapter 100 may include an audio decoder 142 for decompressing audio as a preparation for transmitting audio to audio receivers or other sinks. The audio encoder 140 and the audio decoder 142 may be included on a single chip (Figure 2), either as a larger chip on the network media adapter 100, as a component on an implementation, or as a single instance .

The network media adapter 100 may further include a multi-context cryptographic encryptor 148 for selective content protection of video and audio received from the interface 102. [ The multi-context encryption engine of encryptor 148 enables simultaneous support for multiple encryption standards. For example, HDMI content is protected using high-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP). Accordingly, the content received via HDMI is protected by HDCP. However, other content is directed to use digital transmission content protection (DTCP) for content protection and copy management. These two standards use different modes of operation of the AES-128 encryption standard. The multi-context encryption engine enables streaming of protected content for both DTCP and HDCP. The encryption engine must have aggregate throughput of at least the maximum expected data throughout the time it is received and transmitted. If the media need not be encrypted or protected, content protection is optional, so the multi-context encrypted encryptor 148 may be bypassed. Alternative paths of various examples of received and transmitted audio and video are shown in phantom to indicate that audio and / or video media data may not be processed by all processing components available in network media adapter 100 .

The network media adapter 100 may include a multi-context non-decryption decoder (not shown) for decrypting the encoded media exiting the network before the media can be decompressed (if necessary) and transmitted to receivers context cryptographic decryptor 150. The multi- The decryption format used is to match the format in which the A / V medium was originally encrypted (e.g., HDCP, DTCP). 2, the HDCP / DTCP AKE / SRM 152 is a software implementation that works in conjunction with the HDCP / DTCP encryptors / decoders 148 and 150 to perform the encryption and decryption operations already described. The AKE / SRM portion of the label represents an authentication and key exchange (AKE) and a system renewability message (SRM). In Figure 3, the HDCP / DTCP AKE / SRM 152 is integrated within the ARM processor's functionality after the ARM is configured. ARM is a general purpose programmable processor capable of high-performance computing. If the input medium is not encrypted, the multi-context non-decryption unit 150 may be bypassed (dotted line).

The network media adapter 100 includes a transport stream multiplexer 154 for multiplexing compressed audio and compressed video into a multi-program transport stream, e.g., IEC 13818, . ≪ / RTI > The network media adapter 100 is configured to demultiplex a plurality of packetized elementary streams (PES) found in the stream of input packets and to process at least a portion of the transport stream And a transport stream demultiplexer 156. The PES is transmitted to the multi-context non-decryption decoder 150 when encrypted. In addition, the multi-context non-contiguous decoder 150 may be configured to decode each elementary stream by one of a plurality of copy protection standards.

The network media adapter 100 receives time stamp data from a time stamp capture module 158 of a quality-of-service (QoS) -compliant media interface 159, May include a stream packet encapsulator 160 for encapsulating an interface compatible packet stream, for example, in IEC 61883-4. At this point in the A / V media flow, the processed medium prepares for transmission on the desired streaming network communication medium. The network media adapter 100 decapsulates the input packets of the media data and sends the decapsulated media data to the transport stream demultiplexer when it is in the transport stream and to the transport stream demultiplexer when it is encrypted or when it is protected it is decrypted in multi- And a stream packet decapsulator 162 for transmission to audio and video decoders 138 and 142 when compressed and / or compressed.

The network media adapter 100 may include a stream ID filter 163 for filtering source streams received from an ingress packet classifier 178 (discussed further below). Since some (or many) of the streams are intended for sinks that are not connected to the peripheral interface 104 of the media adapter 100, more streams than the media adapter needs to process, . If the media adapter does not need to process the identified stream (s), the media adapter may ignore this stream (s). In one example, this is handled by subscriptions.

Stream ID filter 163 may include a component that determines whether network media adapter 100 reserves the source stream identified by the stream ID in the header information of the source media stream. When the media adapter reserves a specific stream ID, the media adapter 100 may generate a corresponding local media stream for later processing. Alternatively, if the media adapter does not reserve a particular stream ID, the media adapter may not generate a corresponding local media stream.

The network media adapter 100 may include a microcode engine 164 that may include components that process microcode or instructions. The commands may be for reserving transmission streams or canceling reservation requests. Alternatively or additionally, the instructions may be for routing a media stream associated with a particular stream ID to a particular one of the peripheral interfaces 104 generating a corresponding local media stream.

The network media adapter 100 may include a main processor 165 capable of communicating with the microcode engine 164 via a bus 166 or any other communication mechanism. The bus 166 may include an interface for transferring data between the processor 165 and the microcode engine 164. The bus 166 may be a data bus, a parallel bus, a serial bus, a PLB (Processor Local Bus), or any other suitable means for transferring data between components within a computing device. Other media may be included.

During operation, processor 165 may write instructions to microcode engine 164. For example, in response to a selection of a particular transport stream in a graphical user interface or other event, the processor 165 writes instructions to the bus 166 that reserves the corresponding stream ID . Alternatively or additionally, in response to the selection of a particular stream in the graphical user interface, the processor 165 may record instructions to release the reservation request from the corresponding stream ID. Alternatively or additionally, the processor 165 may read instructions already stored from the microcode engine 164 prior to writing the new instructions to the bus 166. [

To reserve a stream ID, the processor 165 may determine the time domain of the corresponding source stream. The processor 165 may determine which of the peripheral interfaces 104 is configured for the determined time domain. Each one of the peripheral interfaces may generate a plurality of local media streams from a plurality of source streams. Alternatively or additionally, each one of the peripheral interfaces may generate a single local media stream from multiple source streams.

Thus, the stream ID filter 163 may be configured to have N destination offsets corresponding to the N possible source streams allocated to the network adapter 100. In addition, the processor 165 may determine a destination offset value that identifies which of the destination offsets corresponds to the source stream identified by the stream ID. In one example, the destination offset value may identify the location in the output block of the buffer in the media adapter 100 for recording the media stream sample of the source stream. For example, the destination offset value may be a memory offset value, or it may be a number that can be used to determine a memory offset value. The processor 165 writes instructions to the microcode engine 164 to schedule the stream ID and to route any media stream samples for the stream ID to the appropriate destination offset of the appropriate peripheral interface 104 . For example, the processor 165 may store instructions in a local memory buffer so that each time a time-stamped packet arrives for the stream ID, the microcode engine 164 Time-stamped packets can be handled appropriately.

In response to the main processor 165 writing one or more reservation request commands to the microcode engine 164, the microcode engine 164 may send the stream ID identified in the reservation request command to the stream ID filter 163 have. As a result, the stream ID filter 163 can store the stream ID as the reserved media stream identifier, and can later identify the reserved media stream identifier when requested. In one example, the microcode engine 164 may provide the stream ID filter 163 with an identification function of instructions that route the reservation-requested media stream to the appropriate destination offset of the appropriate peripheral interface. Additional examples and associated features of reservation subscription-based stream processing are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 023,989 entitled " MEDIA EXTRACTOR " filed February 9, 2011; Also, United States Patent Application No. 13 / 024,008 entitled " MEMORY MANAGEMENT UNIT " filed February 9, 2011; And also in U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 024,016 entitled " STREAM IDENTIFIER HASH TABLE (Stream Identifier Hash Table) ", filed February 9, 2011, all of which are incorporated herein by reference . The stream ID filter 163 may be implemented in FIG. 2 using the Cortex A8 / TMS3206x, which is potentially aided by the FPGA. The stream ID filter 163 may be implemented in FIG. 3 using the ARM processor with the potential assistance from the FPGA.

The network media adapter 100 may include an egress packet scheduler 168 that may be configured to provide different types of data (such as streaming, time synchronization, and other types of data, such as asynchronous control data) And then forwards the data to the media interface 159 for final transmission over the physical or communication media 170 of the network. Communication media 170 is disclosed with reference to media interface 159 that may communicate wirelessly with network 130 and thus may be used to communicate with a physical connection to a network 130, . The QoS-compliant media interface 159 can transmit encapsulated streaming according to various protocols, e.g., 801.1Qat and 802.1Qav. The QoS-compliant media interface 159 further includes time stamping logic that enables the implementation of precise network time synchronization and clock recovery. These aspects of the media interface 159 and other aspects of timing synchronization and syntonization of the network media adapter 100 will be further described below.

The network media adapter 100 further includes an ingress packet classifier 178 that is responsible for detecting the different types of traffic received from the media interface 159 and routing the appropriate traffic type to the appropriate processing module can do. For example, the input packet classifier 178 may route media data classified as time synchronization traffic to a sync processor 180. Synchronous processor 180 may be configured to implement a precise synchronization protocol such as IEEE 802.1AS that allows local real-time clock 182 of QoS-compliant media interface 159 to communicate with network master clock network master clock, thereby ensuring that the media clock recovery processor makes it possible to synchronize or synchronize local media clocks to ensure media data integrity of the media data. The input packet classifier 178 may route the media data classified as streaming packet traffic to a stream ID filter 163 which may receive from the plurality of source streams the microcode engine 164 and the main processor 165) to be processed and selects the source streams transmitted to one of the peripheral interfaces 104 and generates corresponding local media streams. The stream ID filter 163 may then route these local media streams to the stream packet decapsulator 162. Finally, the input packet classifier 178 may route all other common media data to the main processor 165 for general processing.

Streaming packet decapsulator 162 may decapsulate the input packets of the local media streams and may transmit the appropriate predetermined transport stream to a transport stream demultiplexer 156. [ If the input traffic is not a transport stream, the transport stream demultiplexer is internally bypassed (dotted line) and the A / V media data is routed for decryption and final processing. The transport stream packets may be routed to transport stream demultiplexer 156 for processing. Finally, the streaming packet de-encapsulator 162 may extract time stamps from the input media streams that are transmitted to the media clock recovery processor 188 for use in the media clock recovery process to be discussed, have.

The Cortex A8 / TMS3206x processor of FIG. 2 includes stream packet encapsulator and decapsulator 160 and 162; A main processor 165; And a media clock recovery processor 188. In one embodiment, The ARM processor of FIG. 3 discussed above includes stream packet encapsulator and decapsulator 160 and 162; A synchronization processor 180; A main processor 165; And a media clock recovery processor 188. In one embodiment, The XMOS audio processor of FIG. 3 may be configured or programmed to perform the functionality of the media clock generation processor 129 and the media clock recovery processor 188, in addition to the functions of the other components shown therein.

The transport stream demultiplexer 156 receives standard transport stream packets and demultiplexes a plurality of packetized elementary streams (PES). Each PES is then further processed to the elementary stream level and, if necessary, sent to the multi-context decoder. The unencrypted content bypasses the multi-context decryption decoder 150. The multi-context non-decryption decoder 150 is conceptually identical to the multi-context non-decryption encoder 148 in that it supports multiple contexts but performs the opposite operation, i.e., decryption. The final output to peripheral interfaces 104 occurs when data is naturally routed to one or more of the available peripheral interfaces.

Synchronization processor 180 implements a precision synchronization protocol that synchronizes the local real time clock 182 of the QoS-compliant media interface 159 to a network master clock (not shown) accessible via the communication medium 170 Can be guaranteed. Synchronization processor 180 may respond to synchronization packets or sync messages from input packet classifier 178 and may track other nodes (e.g., sources and sinks) on the network To maintain a local real-time clock, thereby ensuring network time synchronization. Synchronization processor 180 may send synchronization packets, or synchronization messages, to output scheduler 168 to maintain synchronization between the local real-time clock 182 and the network master clock. Exemplary clock synchronization protocols using synchronous messages include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1588: 2002 standard for the Precision Clock Synchronization Protocol for networked measurement and control systems, and the local and metropolitan area network The IEEE 802.1AS Precision Time Protocol (PTP) in the IEEE 802.1 AS standard for local and metropolitan area networks (PTP) (timing for time-sensitive applications in bridged Local Area Networks Synchronization). The synchronization performed by the synchronization processor 180 enables the media clock recovery processor 188 to synchronize and synchronize the media clocks and allows the media data samples to be synchronized to the appropriate peripheral interface 104).

The local media clocks are the clocks used by the respective media peripheral interfaces 102 and 104 to sample, transmit, receive, and framing media data. For example, a 44.1 kHz clock from a digital audio source would be considered a local media clock for that source. In order to transmit and receive A / V media data without audible or visible artifacts, the local media clocks of the media sources and the sink coincide in frequency (synchronized) and in phase (synchronized). The media clock recovery processor 188 implements this functionality within the network media adapter 100.

Media clock recovery is similar to the processing of clock recovery from encoded data streams, but the underlying mechanisms are somewhat different. For media clock recovery, the local media streams contain time stamp information that can be used to calculate the media source clock frequency and phase. Additionally, local media clock frequency and phase information for the receiver may be calculated by using local media clocks to synchronously generate time stamp events. The QoS-compatible interface 159 includes a local real-time clock 182 and a time stamp capture and event hardware 158, as previously mentioned. The media clock recovery processor 188 obtains the time stamp data received from the stream packet decapsulator 162 and the time stamps generated by the local media clocks and provides a phase for controlling the media clock generation processor 129 And frequency offsets. These offsets may be used to control a local media clock generation processor 129 that generates local media clocks such that local media clocks are synchronized and synchronized to the source A / V media clock. Additional examples of media clock recovery are described in U. S. Patent Application No. 12 / 874,836 entitled " MEDIA CLOCK RECOVERY ", filed September 2,

The QoS-compliant media interface 159 includes an electronic media access control (MAC) 192 and one or more physical network interface connectors 192 corresponding to one or more types of networks such as Ethernet AVB, TCP / IP, MoCCA, 194 < / RTI > The electronic media access controller (EMAC) of the implementation of Figures 2 and 3 includes a QoS-compliant media interface 159 that includes a time stamp capture module 158, a real-time clock 182, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > functionality. ≪ / RTI > The network media adapter 100 may be implemented as a memory such as flash memory 196 or random access memory (RAM) 198 shown in FIG. 2, or a memory, such as the one discussed with reference to FIG. Type memory.

4 is a block diagram of a BluRay player, a DVD player, cameras, computers, smart phones, stereos, recorders, and other such devices, Which generally may refer to any other computing devices referenced herein, including computing devices that interface with network media adapters 100, such as devices. Computer system 400 may include a commanded list of sets of commands 402 that may be executed to cause computer system 400 to exchange A / V media data with network media adapter 100 have. The computer system 400 may be connected to or coupled to other computer systems or peripheral devices via the network 130. Here, the phrase " coupled " is defined to mean directly connected or indirectly connected through one or more intermediate components. These intermediate components may include both hardware and software-based components, including network 130 or network-related components.

In a networked deployment, the computer system 400 may operate as a server in a server-client user network environment or as a client-user computer, or may be a peer-to-peer (Or distributed) network environment. The computer system 400 includes a set of instructions 402 that describe operations to be performed by the machine, including, but not limited to, accessing the network 130 via any computer application. such as a personal computer or a mobile computing device, capable of executing a set of instructions and / or instructions. Further, each of the described systems may include any set of sub-systems that individually or collectively execute a set or multiple sets of instructions to perform one or more computer functions.

The computer system 400 may include a processor 404, such as a central processing unit (CPU) and / or a graphics processing unit (GPU). The processor 404 may be implemented as one or more general purpose processors, digital signal processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, digital circuits, Circuits, combinations thereof, and other devices currently known or later developed to analyze and process A / V media data. Processor 404 may execute a set of instructions 402 or other software program, such as code that is manually programmed or generated by a computer to implement logical functions. The described logical functions or any system element may be used for other analog functions such as analogue electrical, audio, or video signals, for example, for audio-visual purposes or other digital processing purposes such as interoperability for computer- , Or a combination thereof, to a digital data source.

Computer system 400 may include memory 408 on bus 412 for communicating information. Code that is operable to cause a computer system to perform any of the acts or operations described herein may be stored in memory 408. [ The memory 408 may be a random-access memory, a read-only memory, a programmable memory, a hard disk drive, or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory or storage device.

The computer system 400 may include a disk or optical drive unit 414. Disk drive unit 414 may include one or more sets of instructions 402, e.g., computer-readable media 418 on which software may be embedded. In addition, the instructions 402 may perform one or more of the operations as described herein. The instructions 402 may reside completely or at least partially within the memory 408 and / or within the processor 1804 during execution by the computer system 400. [

Memory 408 and processor 404 may include a computer-readable medium as discussed above. "Computer-readable medium," "computer-readable storage medium," "machine-readable medium," "propagated- communication medium, "" signal medium, "and / or" signal-bearing medium "includes, but is not limited to, software for use by or in connection with an instruction executable system, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > and / or < / RTI > The machine-readable medium may alternatively be, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, device, or propagation medium.

In addition, the computer system 400 may include a display, such as a keyboard or mouse, configured to interact with any of the components of the system 400, including user selections of the display menus or menu inputs. An input device 424 may be included. The computer system may further include a display 430, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), or any other display suitable for carrying information. The display 430 may operate as an interface for the user to observe the functionality of the processor 404 or specifically as an interface with the software stored in the memory 408 or the drive unit 414. [

The computer system 400 may include an A / V media interface 436 that enables exchange of A / V media data with the network media adapter 100 via the communication network 130. Network 130 may include wired networks, wireless networks, or combinations thereof. The A / V media interface 436 may enable communications over any number of communication standards, such as Ethernet AVB, 802.11, 802.17, 802.20, WiMax, WiFi, MoCCa, or other communication standards.

Network media adapter 100 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus provided for carrying out the methods described herein is suitable and this may be a variant of FIGs. 2 and 3, or it may be a quite different implementation.

Network media adapter 100 may include any kind of memory, including one or more sets of instructions, e.g., a computer-readable medium, in which software may be embedded to configure a network media adapter. The instructions may perform one or more operations as described herein. The instructions may reside entirely or at least partially in memory and may also be stored in memory or storage devices of any of the computer systems 400 in which the network media adapter is interfaced or the network media adapter is communicating over the network 130. [ And may reside at locations on the network 130, such as within. Thus, the network media adapter 100 may be configured via a laptop or through a network 130. [

The network media adapter may include one or more processors, such as those discussed with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, and / or other processors configured to execute instructions. The memory and processor may be embodied on a computer-readable medium as the term has been previously defined with reference to FIG. The processor (s) may comprise any hardware component that executes computer-readable instructions. For example, the processor (s) may be a microcontroller, a soft core processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD) A processing unit, a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor, a digital circuit, an analog circuit, or any combination thereof. Examples of soft core processors include MicroBlaze designed for Xilinx FPGAs from Xilinx (TM), a registered trademark of Xilinx Inc. of San Jose, CA.

The network media adapter 100 includes all of the features enabling the performance of the operations described herein, and when loaded on a computing device, may be at least partially embodied in a computer program product capable of performing these operations have. A computer program in this context means that a system with information processing capabilities is capable of: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) any representation in any language, code or notation of a set of instructions intended to perform a particular function as soon as or after any or both of the reproduction of different data types.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as to the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims (32)

To receive media data from audio / video (" A / V ") sources each and to send media data to A / V sinks, a plurality of audio / video sources and connectors A plurality of peripheral interfaces configured to be connected;
Configured to synchronize or synchronize local media clocks of the A / V sources and sinks to ensure media data integrity associated with a protocol of a media network coupled with at least a portion of the peripheral interfaces and through which media data is transmitted A plurality of components; And
And a quality of service (QoS) -compliant media interface connectable to the network for transmitting and processing the processed A / V media data to and from the media network according to the protocol,
Wherein the QoS-compliant media interface includes time stamping logic to enable time synchronization between a network master clock and a local real-time clock of the QoS-compliant media interface to ensure media data integrity of the media data. . The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the protocol comprises Ethernet audio / video bridging (Ethernet Audio / Video Bridging). The method according to claim 1,
The plurality of components including a synchronization processor for synchronizing a local real-time clock with that of a network master clock; Wherein the network media adapter further comprises a stream packet decapsulator and an input packet classifier,
Wherein the input packet classifier comprises:
Classifying media data received via the QoS-compliant media interface from the media network;
Route media data classified as time synchronization traffic to the sync processor to enable synchronization or synchronization of local media clocks to ensure media data integrity of the media data;
And to route media data classified as streaming packet traffic to a stream identification (ID) filter,
The stream identification (ID)
Select source streams that are approved to be processed from a plurality of source streams of media data;
Generate corresponding local media streams of the selected source streams;
And to transmit the local media streams to the stream packet decapsulator. delete The method of claim 3,
The plurality of components further comprising a media clock recovery processor, wherein the stream packet decapsulator extracts time stamps from the media data streamed from the media network; And to send the time stamps to the media clock recovery processor. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the plurality of components further comprise a media clock generation processor,
Wherein the media clock recovery processor comprises:
Compare the time stamps from the stream packet decapsulator with time stamps generated by the local media clock;
And to calculate frequency and phase offsets for controlling the media clock generation processor to synchronize or synchronize the local media clock with the source media clock. The method of claim 6,
Wherein the media clock recovery processor is further configured to operate in a media clock master mode to synchronize the time stamps to an external local media clock. The method according to claim 1,
A network media adapter, further comprising a media access controller coupled to a network interface, the network interface being connectable to a communication medium for sending and receiving A / V media data to ensure media data integrity. A plurality of peripheral interfaces configured to connect to connectors of a plurality of audio / video (" A / V ") sources and sinks;
A plurality of first components for receiving media data from one or more of said peripheral interfaces connected to said A / V sources, said first components providing said media data received from said A / The plurality of first components being configured to process, encapsulate, and transmit over a network;
A plurality of second components for receiving media data from the media network, wherein the second components decapsulate, process, and transmit the media data via one or more peripheral interfaces connected to the A / V sinks The plurality of second components;
A plurality of third components configured to synchronize or synchronize local media clocks of the A / V sources and sinks to ensure media data integrity associated with the protocol of the media network; And
(QoS) -compliant media interface capable of sending and receiving processed A / V media data to and receiving from the media network, in accordance with the protocol, the media interface being connectable to the media network. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the first components further comprise a multi-context cryptographic encryptor for encrypting the media data by one of a plurality of copy protection standards. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the first components comprise:
A stream encapsulator for receiving time stamp data from the QoS-compliant media interface and encapsulating the media data into a media interface compliant packet stream; And
An output packet scheduler for scheduling different types of data for transmission over the QoS-compliant media interface, the data of the types comprising streaming data, time synchronization data, and various other types of data, Further comprising a network adapter. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the first components comprise:
An audio encoder for compressing raw audio from one or more of the A / V sources;
A video encoder for compressing raw video from one or more of the A / V sources;
A multi-context non-cryptographic cipher for encrypting the compressed video and / or audio by one of a plurality of copy protection standards when requested;
A transport stream multiplexer for multiplexing the compressed audio and the compressed video into a transport stream; And
A stream encapsulator for receiving time stamp data from the QoS-compliant media interface and encapsulating the transport stream into a media interface compliant packet stream. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the third components include a synchronization processor for synchronizing the local media clocks with a network master clock, the second components including a stream packet decapsulator and an input packet classifier,
Wherein the input packet classifier comprises:
Classifying media data received via the QoS-compliant media interface from the media network;
Route media data classified as time synchronization traffic to the sync processor to enable synchronization or synchronization of local media clocks to ensure media data integrity of the media data;
And to route media data classified as streaming packet traffic to a stream identification (ID) filter,
The stream identification (ID)
Select source streams that are approved to be processed from a plurality of source streams of media data;
Generate corresponding local media streams of the selected source streams;
And to transmit the local media streams to the stream packet decapsulator. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the second component further comprises a multi-context non-decodable decoder and a transport stream demultiplexer, wherein the stream packet decapsulator decapsulates input packets of the media data and transmits the decapsulated media data When it is in the stream, to the decoder of the multi-context non-encoding scheme when it is encrypted but is not in the transport stream, or to the decoder of the downstream side Elements of the network media adapter. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the transport stream demultiplexer comprises:
Demultiplexing a plurality of packetized elementary streams (PES) found in a stream of input packets;
And to process each of at least a portion of the PES that has fallen to the elementary stream sent to the multi-context decipherment decoder when encrypted,
Wherein the multi-context decryption decoder is configured to decrypt each elementary stream by one of a plurality of copy protection standards. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the second component comprises:
Decompresses any compressed audio received from the stream packet descrambler, the transport stream demultiplexer, or the multi-context non-decodable decoder into raw audio, and transmits the unprocessed audio to the A / V sinks An audio decoder configured to transmit to one or more of the connected peripheral interfaces; And
Decompresses any compressed video received from the stream packet decapsulator, the transport stream demultiplexer, or the multi-context decoders into raw video, and sends the unprocessed video to the A / V sinks Further comprising a video decoder configured to transmit to one or more of the connected peripheral interfaces. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the multi-context non-decryption decoder is configured to decrypt the encrypted media data received from the stream packet decapsulator by one of a plurality of copy protection standards. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the QoS-compliant media interface includes time stamping logic to enable precise time synchronization and clock recovery, the third components further comprising a media clock recovery processor,
The stream packet decapsulator comprises:
Extracting time stamps from the media data as being streamed from the media network;
And to send the time stamps to the media clock recovery processor. 19. The method of claim 18,
The third components further comprising a media clock generation processor,
Wherein the media clock recovery processor comprises:
Compare the time stamps from the stream packet decapsulator with time stamps generated by the local media clock;
And to calculate frequency and phase offsets for controlling the media clock generation processor to synchronize or synchronize the local media clock with the source media clock. 19. The method of claim 18,
A network media adapter, further comprising a media access controller coupled to a network interface, the network interface being connectable to a communication medium for sending and receiving A / V media data, such as for ensuring media data integrity. Comprising a set of instructions for configuring a network media adapter comprising a plurality of peripheral interfaces configured to connect to a plurality of audio / video (" A / V ") sources and connectors of sinks As a medium,
Wherein the set of instructions is executable by a computing device having a processor and a memory,
The computer-
Instructions for directing the processor to configure a plurality of first components for receiving media data from one or more peripheral interfaces connected to the A / V sources, the first components being coupled to the A / V source Instructions for instructing the processor to configure the plurality of first components, the media data being configured to process, encapsulate, and transmit the media data received from the media network over a media network;
Instructions for instructing the processor to configure a plurality of second components for receiving media data from the media network, wherein the second components are operable to transmit, via one or more peripheral interfaces connected to the A / V sinks, Instructions for instructing the processor to configure the plurality of second components, wherein the second components are configured to decapsulate, process, and transfer media data;
Instructions for instructing the processor to configure a plurality of third components for coordinating or synchronizing the local media clocks of the A / V sources and sinks to ensure media data integrity associated with the protocol of the media network ; And
To instruct the processor to configure a quality of service (QoS) -compliant media interface connectable to the media network and to transmit and process the processed A / V media data to and from the media network according to the protocol. ≪ / RTI > instructions. 23. The method of claim 21,
Wherein the first components further comprise a multi-context unencrypted encryptor for encrypting the media data by one of a plurality of copy protection standards. 23. The method of claim 21,
Wherein instructions for configuring the first components comprise:
Instructions for receiving the time stamp data from the QoS-compliant media interface and instructing the processor to configure a stream encapsulator for encapsulating the media data into a media interface compatible packet stream; And
An output packet scheduler for scheduling different types of data for transmission over the QoS-compliant media interface, the data of the types comprising streaming data, time synchronization data, and various other types of data, The instructions further comprising instructions for instructing the processor to configure the processor. 23. The method of claim 21,
Wherein instructions for configuring the first components comprise:
Instructions for instructing the processor to configure an audio encoder for compressing raw audio from one or more of the A / V sources;
Instructions for instructing the processor to configure a video encoder for compressing raw video from one or more of the A / V sources;
Instructions for instructing the processor to construct a multi-context non-cryptographic cipher for encrypting the compressed video and / or audio by one of a plurality of copy protection standards when requested;
Instructions for directing the processor to construct a transport stream multiplexer for multiplexing the compressed audio and the compressed video into a transport stream; And
Further comprising instructions for instructing the processor to configure a stream encapsulator to receive time stamp data from the QoS-compliant media interface and encapsulate the transport stream into a media interface compliant packet stream. 23. The method of claim 21,
Wherein the third components include a synchronization processor for synchronizing the local media clocks with a network master clock, the second components including a stream packet decapsulator and an input packet classifier,
The instructions for instructing the processor,
Classifying media data received via the QoS-compliant media interface from the media network;
Route media data classified as time synchronization traffic to the sync processor to enable synchronization or synchronization of local media clocks to ensure media data integrity of the media data;
Configure the input packet classifier to route media data classified as streaming packet traffic to a stream identification (ID) filter,
The stream identification (ID)
Select source streams that are approved to be processed from a plurality of source streams of media data;
Generate corresponding local media streams of the selected source streams;
And to transmit the local media streams to the stream packet decapsulator. 26. The method of claim 25,
Wherein the second components further comprise a multi-context nonvolatile decryptor and a transport stream demultiplexer, wherein the second components decapsulate the input packets of the media data, and when the decapsulated medium data is in the transport stream, To a decoder in the multi-context non-decryption scheme when it is encrypted but not in a transport stream, or to a second component on the downstream side even when it is not in the transport stream and is not encrypted And wherein the instructions instruct the processor to configure the stream packet decapsulator. 27. The method of claim 26,
The instructions,
Demultiplexing a plurality of packetized elementary streams (PES) found in a stream of input packets;
To instruct the processor to configure the transport stream demultiplexer to process each of at least a portion of the PES that has fallen to the elementary stream transmitted to the decoder in the multi-context encoding scheme when encrypted,
Wherein the multi-contextualization decoder is configured to decrypt each elementary stream by one of a plurality of copy protection standards. 27. The method of claim 26,
Wherein instructions for configuring the second components comprise:
Decompresses any compressed audio received from the stream packet descrambler, the transport stream demultiplexer, or the multi-context non-decodable decoder into raw audio, and transmits the unprocessed audio to the A / V sinks Instructions for instructing the processor to configure an audio decoder for transmission to one or more of the connected peripheral interfaces; And
Decompresses any compressed video received from the stream packet decapsulator, the transport stream demultiplexer, or the multi-context decoders into raw video, and sends the unprocessed video to the A / V sinks Further comprising instructions for instructing the processor to configure a video decoder to transmit to one or more of the connected peripheral interfaces. 27. The method of claim 26,
The instructions instructing the processor to configure the multi-context decryption decoder for decrypting encrypted media data received from the stream packet decapsulator by one of a plurality of copy protection standards, Readable medium. 26. The method of claim 25,
Wherein the QoS-compliant media interface includes time stamping logic to enable precise time synchronization and clock recovery, the third components further comprising a media clock recovery processor,
The instructions,
Extracting time stamps from the media data as being streamed from the media network;
And to configure the stream packet decapsulator to transmit the time stamps to the media clock recovery processor. 32. The method of claim 30,
The third components further comprising a media clock generation processor,
The instructions,
Compare the time stamps from the stream packet decapsulator with time stamps generated by the local media clock;
Instructs the processor to configure the media clock recovery processor to calculate frequency and phase offsets to control the media clock generation processor to synchronize and synchronize the local media clock with a source media clock. 32. The method of claim 30,
Further comprising instructions for instructing the processor to configure a media access controller in combination with a network interface, the network interface being adapted to communicate with a communication medium for sending and receiving A / V media data, such as for ensuring media data integrity Connectable, computer-readable medium.

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